Are Your Outside Doors Secure?

Exterior doors convey a home’s personality right at the threshold, but keeping your home safe is their most important purpose. Here are a few things you need to check to make sure all your outside doors are capable of keeping you and your family safe.

Check the locks. Start with the basics: inspect are the locks on your doors. If you see visible signs of wear or rust, your lock could be worn down from use. Head over to your local hardware store for a replacement. Consider pairing a doorknob lock with a deadbolt lock for extra security.

Which way does the door swing? Outward swinging doors with security hinges are more difficult to force entry through. This is also great for energy efficiency because it’s more difficult for wind to come through.

Window placement. If you’re worried about burglars, windows in your front or back door make a forced entry a lot easier — all the burglar has to do is smash in the window and reach for the doorknob. If you don’t want to replace an entire door, consider adding sliding deadbolts at the top and bottom of the door, or any area that would be out of reach through a broken window.

Replace the strike plates. Everyday wear can reduce the effectiveness of a strike plate. It’s important to get a new one when this happens because it is the mechanism that locks a shut door in place. Strike plates are sold at your local hardware store for as little as six dollars and could mean the difference between a safe home and a break-in.